Libertina

Libertina is married with three children. She was born on Sabu Island in the East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. Receiving only primary school education did not hinder her passion to become a successful entrepreneur. She moved to Kupang, the province capital, to increase her opportunities.

Libertina is a tenacious entrepreneur with a strong passion to learn and improve her business. She opened a small shop selling everyday goods and home-made donuts. While the donuts were a success, business was a little slow in the highly competitive market of everyday goods.

To increase her income, Ina has joined Kopernik’s Tech Kiosk network to sell simple life-changing technologies. She will use the loan to buy products like solar lamps, water filters, and clean cooking stoves and grow her business. Ina and her husband go to community meetings to educate people about the cost-savings and health benefits of these products.

One of her dreams is to provide better education for her children. The income from selling these technologies will help her increase savings for their future education.

These retailers typically own pre-existing small businesses and wish to provide their communities with these technologies. They are responsible for repaying the cost of the products to Kopernik over the course of the loan term.

Kopernik will collect repayments from retailers each month based on their sales and this money will be returned to Kiva lenders. However, since actual sales are difficult to predict in advance, the repayment schedule on Kiva has been listed with only a single bullet repayment at the end of the term. This structure gives the retailers flexibility to repay on a schedule that works for their individual business needs.

About Kopernik:

Kopernik is a nonprofit organization that helps rural retailers in Indonesia sell simple, life-improving technologies to their communities. Founded in 2009, it connects technology makers with local partners in remote areas to address needs like clean water, electricity, food security and healthcare. Kiva funding will enable retailers to purchase more inventory at a better price, thereby increasing the distribution of life-improving technologies in rural communities.

Kopernik joined Kiva through our Experimental Partnership Program, and has therefore received a lighter level of due diligence. Accordingly, loans associated with this partner carry a higher level of risk than typical Kiva loans.